Did you know that Julius Caesar had nothing to do with the invention of the salad that bears his name? The credit for this delicious dish more properly goes to Caesar Cardini, a restaurateur who came up with the idea out of a combination of necessity and creativity. The story goes that Cardini wanted to serve salad to his restaurant patrons but found himself short of fresh ingredients to mix with his romaine lettuce. He raided his pantry and, using what he found there, concocted the recipe that went down in history. Other chefs began making Caesar Salad because of both its unique flavor and its economy--except for the lettuce and the egg in the dressing, it required no perishable ingredients.